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The Channel Islands and the Great War
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The Guernsey Roll of Service


Introduction

From 2011 the Group started to assemble the Roll of Service for the Bailiwick of Guernsey on this website. The is will be similar to the approach adopted for the Guernsey Roll of Honour. The starting point was the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry's nominal roll, listed in "Diex Aix" by Major Edwin Parks in 1992. Next came his lists for "D" Company Royal Irish Regiment, "D" Company Royal Irish Fusiliers, 9th Divisionional Ammunition Column, 321 & 329 Quarry Companies Royal Engineers and 245 (Guernsey) Army Troops Company Royal Engineers. All of these were Bailiwick units. These lists are supplemented by details from war diaries, Medal index Cards and surviving records from the National Archives.

Guernsey men and women served worldwide in all branches of the Armed Services and Support Services. Many served in non-British units. Finding records of them is often a matter of pure luck. The Guernsey Press & Weekly Press, The Guernsey Star and La Gazette de Guernesey all carried lists, photographs, family details and obituaries. The latter often enable us to match census records to the individual. Australian and Canadian archives are being used and records of Frenchmen who left Guernsey to serve in the French Army and Navy are also now available. "Men of Sark" by Jane Norwich enables us to add detail to those from that island. Information is also coming in from relatives and other interested parties via out social media page at:

www.facebook.com/groups/1696126187277672/

Regimental and county records include many who served during the early stages of the war. Official record sets, WO 363 ("Burnt" records), WO 364 (Pension records) and ADM 188 (Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services) are used to add details of men hitherto unknown to us. Improving technology now allows more accurate searches of these.

Inclusion is made in the revised Roll of Service using the following criteria:

  • Bailiwick of Guernsey born
  • Bailiwick of Guernsey parents (one or both)
  • Residents
  • Service in the RGM including the Permanent Staff
  • Schooling in Guernsey
  • Service in the Bailiwick of Guernsey while serving with the RGM, RGLI or other Guernsey based unit

About an Individual's Entry

Wherever possible, the details listed will be appropriate to an individual at the time of the Armistice in 1918, or earlier if discharged as result of an injury, sickness or for other reasons.


For a number of individuals, an entry "Further investigation required" has been included, and this primarily for those where there is insufficient detail to identify them more clearly by a unique service number for example, or that there is evidence that they enlisted. It is not meant to imply "non-existence", rather that the "paper trail" is inadequate.

Alphabetic Index of Names

Search Download Excel spreadsheet

The database can be searched by surname or awards

Spreadsheets are only available to Group members and contain source references

Future Developments

It is also intended that documents and photographs that can "bring to life" those listed in the Roll of Service will be incorporated. For this, the Group welcomes any additional material in terms of personal papers and photographs.

At September 2023, 7059 serving men and woman have been discovered and this number is still rising.

© 2011 Roger Frisby